‘TOUGHEST DECISION OF MY LIFE’, BAI ADMITTED

FOX League
THE Melbourne Storm wish they had him and the Chiefs hope they’ll sign him, but for now Cooper Bai is loving life on the Gold Coast where there’s a sense of vindication that he re-signed after he starred in Sunday’s thumping win over the Eels.

Still only 19 but with the physical attributes and the emotional intelligence of a seasoned veteran, Bai shapes as one of the most important players for the Titans going forward after he made the huge call to stay put despite initially agreeing to move to Melbourne earlier this year.

“It definitely was the toughest decision of my life I’ve ever had to make,” he said after his seventh game in the NRL.
“I’ve never had to make any decisions like that before to pick between two clubs like that.

“This is pretty much where I’ve grown up here on the Gold Coast, and obviously I’ve got relations down south. To be honest, it was the toughest decision I think I’ve actually had to make in my life.”

Bai’s father, Marcus, was a Storm legend in their early days, with Cooper chatting with influential figures at the club like coach Craig Bellamy and director of football Frank Ponissi who tried to get him to move down south.

“We just had casual chats about footy and life in general. It was really good to talk to them to see a different perspective on everything,” he said.

“I’ve pretty much grown up here my whole life, and this is all I’ve known. Being able to interact and see how things are done in other teams and other areas was a big insight for me.

“It came down to me making decisions for myself and what I thought was best at the time. I felt it was best to stay here with the new coaching staff and all of that. That was the main reason.”

While Bellamy has the experience and long-term success, Bai is being coached by Josh Hannay who has youth on his side and is clearly changing things on the Gold Coast after years without success.

“He’s been amazing for me,” Bai said, with the Titans looking much better in defence this season, while their attack is also clicking after they posted 50 points for just the second time as a franchise.

“He’s been teaching me the basics around the game and continually helping me to improve in my craft, playing in my position, and just playing in the NRL.

“He’s been really good for me moving forward with my mindset, getting my mind ready for the game as well as my physical body, as the high-performance staff also do. He’s honestly been a game-changer for me.

“(He’s been big on me) switching on and playing upbeat from the very beginning and not having to wait for something to happen. He’s been really good in teaching me ways of doing that, to be able to go quickly with it and go straight away and not fall behind.

“Especially coming in the middle and being young, there’s a lot of noise, but (he’s helped with me) being able to focus on my role.”

The Titans are still building under Hannay, but Sunday’s win over the Eels is vindication for guys like Bai and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui who decided to stay put.

“It really helps with all of that noise outside the footy world,” the young gun said.

“To be able to show ourselves and show the fans at home, this is the new brand of Titans that we are. We’re coming forward, and this is the footy that we want to play.

“Not necessarily just flashy, but we are willing to put the hard work in that we need to do to reframe that mindset around the Titans.

“I just always had a feeling (that I wanted to stay).

“With the new coaching staff, I was really enjoying myself in training, and I was happy just training. Those were probably the main reasons why I wanted to stay and see how this season would go.

“Not wanting to regret anything if stuff happened down the track. I’m still young, so decisions can happen down the track, but I felt it was best for me right now.”

The looming presence down the track will be when PNG enter the competition in 2028, with the Chiefs set to go after him hard.

Bai has played a couple of Tests for PNG and also came off the bench in last year’s Prime Minister’s XIII where he was treated like a god by the locals.

“I absolutely love everyone over in PNG,” he beamed.

“The support and love that I get from everyone over there is tremendous. I’ve never felt anything like it at all. To be able to play in those PM’s XIII games and the international games too, it was such a good feeling.

“Obviously, if they end up coming out in ‘28 (there will be noise) but I don’t really think of that right now. If stuff happens later, it happens later, but I’m staying around now.”